Tokyo · Shibuya and Harajuku
Takeshita Street
Takeshita Street runs down a gentle slope from Harajuku Station to Meiji-dori, only about 350 meters. The name comes from the old neighborhood that was here, Takeshita-cho. Every day between 11:00 and 18:00 the street is closed to vehicles and all of it becomes sidewalk, and this is exactly the time when it is most crowded.
The shops open around 10:00, and before 11:00 you can still move at a reasonable pace. After that you walk at the pace of a queue: crepes, colorful popcorn, ¥300 shops and kawaii fashion packed side by side in a small area. Teenagers enjoy it more than adults.
A few minutes' walk from the end of the street, at the Jingumae intersection, the complex Tokyu Plaza Harajuku, Harakado, opened in 2024: nine floors, 75 shops, and a branch of the long-established public bath Kosugi-yu on the basement floor.
Good to know
- The cheap prices are misleading: some of the fashion shops are tourist chains, and the real bargains are in the alleys of Cat Street right behind the street.
- Cash helps at the small food stalls, even if the big shops take cards.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Takeshita Street.
- HereTakeshita Street
- 1 min
Marion Crepes Takeshita Dori Food
A long-running crepe chain, since 1976, right at the entrance to the street. Cream and fruit about ¥400 to ¥700, and versions with cake or ice cream over ¥800.
- ~3 min
Sailor Moon store Clothes and crafts
The permanent official Sailor Moon store, in Laforet Harajuku on floor B0.5.
- ~4 min
Tokyu Plaza Harajuku Harakado Shopping
A shopping complex from 2024 at the Jingumae intersection, a few minutes from the end of the street. Nine floors, 75 shops, a rooftop terrace, and a branch of the historic public bath Kosugi-yu on the basement floor.
- ~5 min
Chicago Harajuku Clothes and crafts
A long-standing institution in Tokyo.
- ~6 min
KINJI Harajuku Clothes and crafts
A huge basement next to Cat Street with an enormous stock.
- ~6 min
Cat Street Street
Official name: the promenade of the former Shibuya River. The river flowed here until it was covered ahead of the 1964 Olympics, and above it today is an alley of fashion and vintage between Harajuku and Omotesando, less crowded than Takeshita.
More in Shibuya and Harajuku
Appears in: Shibuya, Harajuku and Meiji Shrine: the first day in Tokyo